Bud Powell
The Complete Bud Powell Blue Note Recordings (1949-1958)
Mosaic Records (US) 1986
MR5-116 (5LP) Limited edition. Box set. w/booklet.
box : VG+(SPSE/TOC: tear and tape on side, wear on one corner, wrinkles on two corners)
media : EX/EX,EX/EX,EX/EX-,EX/EX,EX/EX-(some slightly noise. side F and J has two slightly hairlines that does not affect to sounds)
An essential five-LP box set from Mosaic Records, collecting Bud Powell’s Blue Note recordings from 1949 to 1958. From the sharp early sessions that helped define the language of bebop piano to the shadows that began to emerge as Powell moved toward his later years, this definitive collection allows the listener to trace the evolution of Powell as a musician in one sweep. Not only does it bring together the core performances from Powell’s Blue Note period, but its structure, organized by alternate takes and session dates, offers discoveries quite different from those found on a single classic album. His rapid, cascading right-hand lines, rhythms that at times feel almost urgently unstable, and moments of sudden, graceful melodic beauty all come through vividly. Rather than a neatly polished set of great performances, this feels like a document that captures Bud Powell’s genius and fragility exactly as they were, sealed inside a box. The highly informative booklet, characteristic of Mosaic, is another major attraction. Recommended not only for those who want to listen deeply to the performances themselves, but also for anyone interested in the early recording history of Blue Note and the formation of bebop piano.
A6: Dance Of The Infidels (Alternate Take)
B4: Un Poco Loco (Alternate Take #1)
C2: A Night In Tunisia (Alternate Take)